Catholic Group Asks for Investigation into Prejudice in Army-navy Correspondence Course

June 29, 1945

New York (Jun. 28)

Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson and Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal were today requested to institute immediate investigations into the distribution of anti-Jewish and anti-Catholic statements in a correspondence course conducted by the U.S. Armed Forces Institute, under the auspices of the Army and Navy.

The demand came from the Committee of Catholic for Human Rights, which also urged the removal from any activities connected with the education of the U.S. armed forces of all persons responsible for the inclusion of the objectionable statements in the correspondence course.

The Catholic group also asked that the War Department and the Navy Department investigate all courses conducted by the U.S. Armed Forces Institute “in order to assure us that the victory won upon the field by the blood of our soldiers is not lost by systematic and concerted attempts, no matter how unintentional, to pray upon the intelligence of our youth in the armed services.”

“Anti-Catholicism and anti-Semitism are attitudes dangerous to minority relationship within the United States and are tools of anti-democratic forces,” the letter of the Catholic organization said. “This subtle blow to the war effort through propagation of un-American attitudes must be repudiated by the War and Navy Departments in order to serve notice that such attitudes will not be tolerated now and in the future.”